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Fluctuations in Google Algorithm Occurred Throughout Late September. Many industry experts noticed Google algorithm and ranking shifts from Sept. 20th – 29th, but there has been no confirmation from Google on the flux. Read more about the ongoing shifts here.

New Report Says Google beats Amazon for Product-Search Reach.A survey of 3,100 consumers in the US, the UK, Germany and France shows more people use Google in shopping and product discovery, but Amazon is consulted by 56 percent as their starting point and is regarded with more loyalty. Read more insights from the survey here.

Apple Is Switching from Bing to Google for Siri Voice Search and Spotlight on Mac. Apple states that their main reason for the switch is consistency, since their Safari browser on Mac and iPhone uses Google as the default search engine. Learn more here.

NPR Report Finds that 57% of Smart Speaker Owners Have Bought Something With Their Voice. The report shows that most responders were very satisfied with their voice activated devices, and among those making purchases through smart speakers, the largest single group is the 18 to 34 group (45%) followed by those 35 to 54 (39%). Learn more from the report here.

YouTube Changes Rules Regarding Videos With External Links. The company added restrictions on which accounts are able to add external links using end cards. Find out what the new requirements are, here.

Google States that Top Ranking Factors Change Depending on Query. Gary Illyes of Google says top ranking factors for a web page will change depending on the query used to find it, and that it’s the algorithm’s’ job is to show relevant content and that all other factors vary per query. Learn more about the topic here.

Google is Ending ‘First Click Free’ Program for News Articles. The old feature provides users access to content behind publisher subscription paywalls when they click through from Google results, but Google is ending it to help publishers boost subscriptions. Learn more here.

Gary Illyes of Google Says Most Algorithm Updates Are Not Actionable. Googler Gary Illyes confirms that they update the algorithm two to three times a day, and says “I would say that for the vast majority, and I’m talking about probably over 95%, 98% of the launches are not actionable for webmasters”. Read more from the interview with Gary, here.

Bing Upgrades Its Visual Search With Intelligent Object Detection Technology. Bing Visual Search will be able to identify objects within images and pre-select them for you by marking them in a square selection box. Clicking on the selection box will trigger Bing to search for images or products related to the object you selected. Learn more here.